Israeli troops kill 22 in Gaza, attack school sheltering displaced Palestinians

Israeli airstrikes kill 22 Palestinians in Gaza, targeting militants and causing civilian casualties, amid ongoing conflict.

“Israeli troops killed at least 22 Palestinians, most of them in the northern Gaza Strip, on Sunday (December 15, 2024) in airstrikes and other attacks on targets that included a school sheltering displaced Gazans,” medics and residents said.

They said at least 11 of the dead were killed in three separate Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City houses, nine were killed in the towns of Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia camp and two were killed by drone fire in Rafah.

Residents said clusters of houses were bombed and some set ablaze in the three towns. The Israeli Army has been operating in the towns for over two months.

The Israeli military said the three Gaza City houses belonged to militants planning imminent attacks. It said steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians beforehand, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance.

The military issued a photo showing the weapons it said were seized in Beit Lahiya that included explosives and dozens of grenades.

“In Beit Hanoun, Israeli forces besieged families sheltering in Khalil Aweida school before storming it and ordering them to head towards Gaza City,” the medics and residents said.

Medics said several people were killed and wounded during the raid on the school while the Army detained many men. The number killed was not immediately clear.